Chapter 1422

The chaotic battle ceased, and the factory floor fell silent, save for the sound of hissing steam.

"That... that handsome man over there."

A voice came from behind the compressor the healer was hiding behind. This appeared to be an old-fashioned compressor; having been pierced by several bullets, it was now leaking oil steadily.

The healer from the Apocalypse Paradise was curled up, tears in her eyes. It was understandable that she was so terrified; even the healers within the Samsara Paradise were rarely this fragile, let alone one from the Apocalypse Paradise.

After witnessing her teammates being slaughtered like chickens, this delicate-looking healer had fallen into despair. Yet, the instinct to survive kept her from giving up; she prepared to pay a price in exchange for her life.

"I am a support personnel with no combat ability. According to the Apocalypse... no, from a humanitarian perspective... also no..."

The more she spoke, the more desperate she became. The rules of the Apocalypse Paradise were clearly not something the people from the Samsara Paradise would follow. As for humanitarianism—don't even joke about it. These lunatics had nearly leveled Rubei City; they wouldn't care about such rules at all.

"I surrender!!"

The healer shouted, simultaneously pulling out a scroll and hiding it in her sleeve, ready to use it at any moment.

"Fine."

Su Xiao replied. He sheathed Zhan Long Shan and brought D. Assassination into his right hand, the muzzle aimed directly at the compressor where the healer was hiding.

With a rip, the healer tore open her upper garments. Her figure was astonishing, and after a quick adjustment, she enhanced her own allure. She raised her hands and slowly poked her head out from behind the compressor.

*Puff. *

A faint gunshot rang out, and a bullet pierced the healer's head. She collapsed with a thud, her eyes wide open in anger, her fingers twitching unconsciously.

A golden light enveloped the wound on the healer's head. As she lay on the ground, her eyes were wide with fury, her fingers twitching without conscious control.

Su Xiao approached the compressor, his muzzle aimed at the fallen healer.

"Why..."

*Puff, puff. *

Two bullets pierced the healer's heart and throat respectively, and she immediately ceased to breathe.

Now on the battlefield, regardless of stance or situation, any contractor from the Apocalypse Paradise remaining in Rubei City was an enemy. Being merciful to an enemy was a foolish act; some seemingly weak enemies could actually unleash astonishing lethality.

Take this healer, for example. The one-time scroll in her sleeve was, by the Samsara Paradise's grading, a legendary-grade one-time attack item.

The healer might have looked delicate, but none of them were fools. They would find ways to protect themselves, and one-time high-power items were the best choice.

Eight people had ambushed Su Xiao; five died, three fled.

Was that really the case? Not quite. There were nine people in this squad.

On the steel beams of the factory ceiling, a youth crouched, motionless. His attire was somewhat feminine, and he stood about 1.5 meters tall. At this moment, he remained frozen on the beam.

The youth was the squad's sensory type, so he hadn't attacked during the battle. Moreover, he specialized in sensory abilities and was extremely adept at masking his presence, which was why Su Xiao hadn't discovered him.

Su Xiao had mastered the 'Intuition' ability long ago. This ability could not be upgraded within the Samsara Paradise, but it improved rapidly through his own use. By now, his Intuition had reached Lv. 32.

Even at Lv. 32, Intuition was not a wide-range sensory ability; it formed an invisible circle with a diameter of 16 meters and a radius of 8 meters. Anything entering this circle could be sensed by Su Xiao.

From the moment he mastered Intuition, Su Xiao understood it wasn't a long-range sensory skill. Based on his research in the Pirate World, the sharpness of Intuition in capturing enemy attacks was more than seven times that of Observation Haki at the same level.

To gain something, one must sacrifice something. The bonus Intuition provided to close-quarters combat was evident; the sacrifice was the range.

After Intuition reached Lv. 32, Su Xiao mastered a new ability, or rather, a new evasion technique. He had used this during his battle with Ba Ke, and it was how he defeated him.

【Intuition Lv. 32 (Passive)】

Skill Effect (Passive): Forms a sensory circle with a diameter of 16 meters and a radius of 8 meters. Any attack entering this circle can be automatically dodged by the body, even if the conscious mind is not on alert.

Sensory Intensity: 20 + 31 points (Base intensity + Intelligence attribute x 35%).

Hint: Once Sensory Intensity reaches 20 points, one can dodge attacks the moment they enter the sensory circle (Mastered).

Hint: Once Sensory Intensity reaches 50 points, one can perform an 'Overload Sensory Operation,' achieving the effect of slowing down the enemy's attack speed from one's own perspective. This is the 'Overload Sensory State' (Mastered).

Hint: Once perception intensity reaches 100 points, you can predict enemy attacks within your perception circle. Based on the opponent's attack initiation, you can gain insight into the direction of the enemy's attack in advance (Not yet mastered).

Hint: Once Sensory Intensity reaches 200 points, one can predict the enemy's future attacks within the sensory circle, with a lead time of 0.23–0.51 seconds (Not Mastered).

Hint: This skill cannot be upgraded within the Samsara Paradise and can only be improved through the hunter's own training.

Because of the distance, Su Xiao hadn't discovered the contractor on the steel beam above. Naturally, that contractor wouldn't jump down and roar, "Dare you fight me, you scoundrel!"

He had witnessed how his five teammates died, and the healer's death in particular made him realize that the guy below didn't reason. As long as he was exposed, even if he could talk the dead back to life, the guy would only put a few bullets through his forehead.

*Clap, clap, clap... *

Scattered applause rang out. Su Xiao shifted his muzzle. His luck wasn't great this time; killing these enemies yielded no treasure chests.

"I've long heard of Brother Bai Ye's great name. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation."

A man in a suit with an ordinary appearance walked into the factory.

"Something up?"

Su Xiao put away D. Assassination. He hadn't met this man in the suit before, but the man was an ally.

"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Qing Yan."

Qing Yan stopped ten meters away from Su Xiao. He understood the consequences of rashly approaching a close-combat specialist. Even if the other party was an ally, Qing Yan couldn't guarantee that the ally wouldn't take his head off. Allies within the Samsara Paradise had to be treated with caution.

"Qing Yan..."

Su Xiao nodded. Although Qing Yan looked unremarkable, a person's capability was not determined by their appearance or background.

Su Xiao was puzzled as to why Qing Yan had sought him out. Qing Yan didn't state his purpose immediately. The contractor from the Apocalypse Paradise crouching on the steel beam above held his breath, his only thought being, "Can the two of you go outside to talk?"

What Su Xiao and Qing Yan were about to discuss, the contractor didn't care at all. The thick "villain boss" aura radiating from the two men below made him extremely panicked.

"Come out. There's no point in hiding anymore. If you're willing to answer a few of my questions, I give you my word of honor that I will spare your life."

Hearing this, the contractor on the steel beam felt his bladder tighten, his eyes staring at Qing Yan in disbelief.

Su Xiao was slightly puzzled. He scanned his surroundings, and when his gaze moved to the steel beam above, he felt as if someone was locking eyes with him.

Su Xiao didn't ignore this feeling, which was akin to an illusion. D. Assassination appeared in his hand.

*Puff, puff, puff... *

By the time Su Xiao fired the third shot, a spray of blood appeared out of thin air. After the eighth shot, a corpse crashed through the factory's glass. With a *crash*, glass shards flew everywhere, and the body fell outside the factory.

"There really was someone."

Qing Yan marveled. He had only said that out of caution.

"Brother Bai Ye..."

Qing Yan's voice grew lower. Only then did he state his purpose.